How The Bite Heard ‘Round The World Might Play Out
One option available to Liverpool is to discipline the player and then withhold Suarez’s wages for the length of time he would be benched by the team.
The FIFA Disciplinary Committee determined that Luis Suarez is guilty of munching on Georgio Chiellini during Uruguay’s last Group D appearance. Suarez was suspended from soccer for nine matches and suspended form all soccer connected activity for four months. He also was given a cash penalty of $65,000. Suarez, currently, will not be able to take the field for Liverpool, his present club, anytime between now and November. Many in sports believe the punishment is one of the severest ever given to a player in the history.of the world’s largest sporting event. Suarez, who had been sanctioned before for biting, has announced plans to appeal.
Suarez Guilty of What??
The FIFA statement said that the FIFA Disciplinary Committee (FDC) determined that Suarez “breached article 48, paragraph one…” of the disciplinary code. Basically Suarez was guilty of “unsporting behavior” towards a player.
Imposed Sanction
Suarez was banished for four months from any soccer related activity and has been suspended for nine matches. The soccer-related ban is permitted by Article 22 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code. Before the announcement was made, many observers thought that such an option of banishment would not happen because it had not been used in the past against a player when the player was found guilty in retrospect. There is the possibility that FIFA looked at previous biting incidents by Suarez but it won’t be until the record of the final decision-making is released that the rationale will become known.
Suarez will not be able to attend or visit any soccer coliseum during the 4 month ban and sources say that Suarez cannot even stay in the same Uruguay hotel as his team during the ban.
Will Suarez Appeal?
Article 118c of the FDC says that an appeal may be presented to the Appeal Committee if the punishment given is more than two matches or 2 months long. Article 124(2) of the FDC says “…the appeal does not have a suspensive effect except with regard…” to monetary fines. If Suarez and/or Uruguay file a petition about the decision, the punishment cannot be lifted at the first appeal stage.
Uruguay has already stated they will appeal the FDC ruling. AUF President, Wilmar Valdez said, “We are preparing our appeal now.” There remains another possibility that a further appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), as allowed for in Article 126(2) of the FDC, will occur. The timetable suggests though that the FIFA Appeal Committee will have to issue a decision before any CAS procedure is started.
Can Liverpool Appeal?
Article 119 of the FDC spells out who can — and cannot — appeal the decision. Only those that were party to the initial decision and have a legally protected interest in appealing can file. According to some sources, this suggests that even though Liverpool would have an interest in filing an appeal, they do not have standing since they were not party to the initial decision. New York sport litigation attorney Nick Wooldridge points to Article 119(2) of the FDC which says that national associations are allowed to appeal decisions which “sanction their players.” That just may give the soccer Association the right to appeal Suarez’s sanctions on Liverpool’s behalf. Some sports analysts think it is unlikely the FA would ask for a lesser sanction for Suarez as he scored the goals that basically sent England packing.
What Does “soccer Related Activity” Mean?
Suarez started the 2013-2014 season late due to the six games remaining from his ten game ban from the previous biting episode when he chomped on Chelsea’s Ivanovic. If Suarez stays with Liverpool, observers doubt he will be available for play until November 1 and could possibly miss 13 Liverpool matches. Additionally, Suarez will have to train by himself. Suarez will not be allowed to go on any pre-season tour and can’t even be inside the stadium at Anfield to watch any Liverpool games. From a fitness perspective, it will be difficult for Suarez to be ready to play in November if he is not allowed to work out with his team mates.
Would Liverpool Can Suarez?
Ex-Chelsea striker, Adrian Mutu, shows the difficulties a club faces when trying to recoup their investment in a player if the player breaches his contract and is canned. Possibly, the practical answer for Liverpool, if they don’t feel Suarez has a future with the team, is to make Suarez available for trade although his value has shrunk because of the ban.
Liverpool may also face the possibility of having to pay Suarez’s wages while the striker is forced to wait outside the stadium.
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